“We can deal with this later,” I said gruffly.
She clicked off the app and winked at me. “Gotcha.”
Devraj hovered close, seeming to want to talk to me, but I kept my gaze purposely averted. I didn’t want to see a look of disappointment or hurt in his eyes. It was for our own good. Or at least mine. I knew myself enough to understand that I couldn’t go further with him without wanting more than he was ready to give me. Or could give me.
“I win!” screamed Livvy, bouncing off the barstool and dancing around in a circle. Then she broke out into the chorus of “Single Ladies” while Finnie buried his head in his hands.
She propped one hand on her curvaceous hip covered in black yoga pants with tiny crystal balls on them. She wore her favorite hot pink tank top with the phrase I’m not bossy, I’m the queen. A tilted crown was etched in the middle with rhinestone jewels. Evie had given it to her last Christmas, and Livvy wore it every chance she could when she wasn’t in work mode. Livvy flicked the fingers of her left hand in the air as she sang.
She finally stopped on a laugh, “Don’t worry, Finnie boy. I’ll be your backup singer.”
“Me too, me too!” said Clara, hopping over to join them. “You have to have two backup singers, Finnie. You can’t have one. Right, Livvy?”
Livvy gave me the wide-eyed oh-no look. I stifled a laugh, easing toward the table next to Evie. Clara’s enthusiasm for singing far outweighed her talent. Livvy then smoothed her face before wrapping an arm around Clara’s shoulders and squeezed her tight. “Of course, he does. We’ll be your dynamic duo backup singers.”
“It’s all right,” Charlie comforted Finnie. “There’s a first time for everything.”
Finnie lifted his head from his hands finally, his face practically purple with his deep blush. “Even wearing drag?”
“Especially wearing drag,” said Charlie, patting Finnie on the head. “Just ask JJ.”
JJ’s scowl deepened, and even through his trim beard, I could see him clenching his jaw.
“JJ!” called Jules from the open doorway of the kitchen. JJ was the official heavy pot carrier in the house, so that meant dinner was ready.
He shoved off the bar and headed for the kitchen.
“Saved by the dinner bell,” Charlie sang.
JJ flipped him off over his shoulder and kept walking. Charlie just laughed.
“Wait! Where’d you come from?” Violet had her hands propped on her hips as she glared at the werewolf across from Mateo. Nico was sitting, pretty as you please.
“From my apartment,” he answered dryly.
“No shit,” snapped Violet. “I mean, who asked you?”
“Evie.”
“Stop being rude, Violet,” said Evie, standing from Mateo’s lap. “Nico is now my cousin-in-law.”
“Y’all aren’t married,” she accused, scowling at her.
Mateo stood and spread a hand on Evie’s hip from behind her. “Not yet,” he said evenly.
“Sorry if my presence bothers you,” crooned Nico. His voice was the stuff of fantasies. His smoldering grin tipped his mouth up wickedly.
“No, you’re not,” Violet said, scowling.
“Not one bit.” He bit his bottom lip, seeming to enjoy her displeasure and staring at Violet like she was the main course.
This wasn’t the first or even the second time these two had been caught bickering and snapping at each other. And even though Violet was frowning, she seemed to get some kind of strange satisfaction engaging with him this way. Something was definitely going on with these two, even if my most stubborn sister pretended otherwise.
Violet turned in a little huff toward the front of the serving line where Jules was setting a giant ladle. At least it took all the attention off me, and that’s all I cared about.
What I also couldn’t help caring about was the way Devraj had gone uncharacteristically quiet. He didn’t try to talk to me the rest of the night, and I tried not to stare at him and worry about that pensive look of pain marking his beautiful face. And the fact that I was fairly positive I’d put it there.
Needless to say, though conversation and laughter flowed around the table, it was the worst Sunday dinner ever. But it was for the best. I was sure of it. Kind of.
Chapter 20
~DEVRAJ~
* * *
I sat in my car in the hospital parking lot obsessing over the picture of Isadora on her profile on the fucking dating app, Zapp. Her sister, who’d taken her picture, had captured her so perfectly I felt a pinch in my chest when I looked at it. I was rubbing my sternum, hoping the pain would go away as I analyzed every line and curve of her face and figure.
She wore a white, sleeveless dress brushing just above her knees, her long tan legs accentuating her lean beauty. There were gold bangle bracelets adorning both wrists, her sun-kissed skin smooth and beautiful. She was caught mid-laugh, her green eyes bright, the sun right behind her head, which lit her flowing blond hair on fire, wisps picked up by the wind. One strand crossed one eye and cheek. The sunlight behind her silhouetted her long legs that could be seen through the sheer cotton. Dangling from the fingers of one hand was a yellow wildflower, one of the many surrounding her in the field at her feet.
She was breathtaking. Literally. I rubbed at my chest again, finding it hard to get enough air.
The piercing sting of this profile pic proved she wanted to date. Just not me.
Was I wrong in the attraction I sensed from her? Was it one-sided? I knew it wasn’t. Even at The Green Light, her pulse raced when I pulled her into my arms on the dancefloor. She couldn’t fake her body’s reaction, the subtle nuances I was so sensitive to as an experienced vampire. The tripping of her pulse, the labored breathing, the dilation of her pretty green eyes.
And yet, here was proof she wasn’t interested in my company.
Her words at The Green Light had stung. And maybe she was right to a certain degree. We did move in different circles, lived in different worlds. But I wanted her in mine. Or maybe I’d give up mine to be in hers. I don’t know. All I knew was that after three hundred years, I’d never felt this sort of obsessive attraction toward a woman. And what she didn’t know was that I could be patient. And tenacious.
I growled, staring down at her profile. She’d checked off every box for the supernaturals she was interested in dating. No, Isadora wouldn’t discriminate. That should make me proud that she was so open-minded, but all I could think of was the giant goddamn dating pool she’d just opened up. They’d be coming in droves for her.
Her profile was brief, but very telling.
Interests: good food, gardening, cute dogs
Turn-ons: intelligence, humor, maturity
Turn-offs: selfishness
Absolute musts: To be local and rooted in New Orleans.
Ah. There it was. That last line explained so much. New Orleans wasn’t my home. She knew that Stygorn moved often. Knew that I rarely stayed in one place, too.
And cute dogs? She didn’t even own a dog. Why not?
A rap on my window snapped me out of my heartsick daze. Ruben stood there, a confused expression and smirk on his face. He’d glanced at my phone in my lap. I opened the door and slipped the phone in my pants pocket.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his gaze flicking to my phone. “I figured you’d already be up there.”
“Just checking something.”
“Mmm,” was Ruben’s all-knowing response. “If you’d gone up, you’d be able to ogle the real thing rather than her picture on your phone.”
“She’s here?” I didn’t even try to deny the fact I was stalking her online.
He dipped his chin and headed for the side entrance to the hospital yet again.
“Jules phoned me half an hour ago to make sure my guys knew she was coming with Isadora.”
“So what are you doing here?”
He gave me one of those mind-your-own-business looks. Which never worked on me. “Just checking up on t
hings.”
“You could do that from the comfort of your home,” I noted as we entered near the stairwell and nodded to the vampire guard, Roland, in the shadows.
“Shut up, Devraj. You’re one to talk.”
I laughed when he traced up to her hospital room. I did the same, cloaking myself in glamour so the nurses wouldn’t even note the rush of wind as we passed. Gabriel was at the door, also cast in glamour so that no one but vampires might sense him.
I eased into the room behind Ruben, hearing soft feminine voices. The gentle timbre of Isadora’s clutched me in the gut, reminding me how deep this witch had her hooks into me. The funny thing was that I was perfectly okay with being at her mercy. If she only knew, what would she do?
“I can’t thank you enough,” said Emma from the bed.
“You just rest up. You’ll be good enough to go home by tomorrow.”
A subtle glow shimmered on Isadora’s skin, proof she’d been using her Conduit powers heavily. Emma’s gaze shifted to us. And though I’d erased her memory of us last time, she didn’t seem afraid of two strange men entering her room. Probably due to Isadora’s extensive healing, calming her down to her bones.
A Conduit’s power could have a similar effect as an Aura who could transform people’s emotions. A powerful Conduit healing could change the energy make-up of a person so entirely that their whole demeanor changed—calmed and soothed by the witch’s magical shift of earth energy into the human body.
How did I know all of this? Because I’d been doing extensive research on Conduit witches over the past week. Yeah, I had it bad.
Isadora looked over her shoulder, meeting my gaze. Those sweet eyes widened before she turned back to Emma. “We should go. Take care of yourself.”
As she rose, Jules did, too. But as they passed, I reached out a hand and touched Isadora’s forearm, stopping her. “Will you wait a few minutes? We need to talk.”
Her startled gaze shot to mine, her heartbeat spiking.
“I don’t think—”
“About Emma,” I clarified, realizing she thought I wanted to talk about us.
Which I did. But now that I knew why she was pushing me away, I’d have to bide my time and figure this out.
“Oh. Yeah. Of course.”
Jules sidled closer. “We’ll wait in the parking lot downstairs. The nurses won’t understand why we’re lingering.”
Witches couldn’t use glamour like vampires, so they were here as legitimate visitors. I nodded, then they left.
I sat next to Emma, pushing my glamour to engulf her so she wouldn’t panic at my nearness. Even if she didn’t remember what had happened to her, she’d have the residual effects still deep in her memory. Like PTSD, she’d likely be wary of strange men getting too close for a long while.
“Hi, Emma. Can I hold your hand? I just want to take a look.”
“Sure,” she said easily, even smiling, completely entranced.
I swept in quickly this time, hoping to find something new that I might’ve missed. Something that would finger Blake as the man we were looking for. Or one of his entourage. But nothing new. The same memories emerged from her subconscious. Mostly fuzzy. The voice of the man who fed off of her. The sound of a distant church bell still ringing clear. If I could only pinpoint that bell. But there were hundreds in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
When I pulled out of her mind, she was in a deep sleep. I put my palm to her forehead, making sure she wouldn’t remember meeting us this last time. Her spirit felt at ease now, and I wouldn’t jeopardize her sanity or wellbeing by coming again. The human mind was resilient but also fragile. Especially when a supernatural started tampering with it.
I stood. Ruben asked. “Anything new?”
I shook my head. “Let’s go.”
We streaked through the hospital, landing outside in the parking lot beside Jules’s car five seconds later.
Isadora gasped when we appeared beside them. She clutched her chest. “I hate it when y’all do that.”
I couldn’t help but smile. My witch was so sensitive.
My witch. When had I begun to think of her that way? How could I make it a reality? That was all that seemed to consume me these days. And yet, Ruben needed my help. There were other girls still out there in this kidnapper’s captivity. I forced myself to focus. I had an idea of what to do to catch them, but I needed to see if Isadora discovered anything else.
“Sorry,” I told her, restraining a smile at her skittishness. “Did you sense anything else? Something that might tie Blake to Emma?”
She held my gaze, her expression sobering. “No. She’s almost fully healed, though. Physically.”
“Thank God,” muttered Jules.
“Not long and we’ll have the other girls and bring them to safety,” Ruben assured Jules. “You might want to get a few Conduits on stand-by for when we do.”
Ruben’s unwavering attraction to the woman was so obvious with his electric blue gaze riveted on her face.
Damn, was that what I looked like when I stared at Isadora? We two were a sad lot. But unlike Ruben, I wasn’t going to wait a decade to go for my woman.
“I’ll have them ready,” said Jules.
Clearing my throat, I added, “I didn’t sense anything new. And our plan is solid.”
Jules’s stance became rigid as she looked at her sister. “Are you positive this grim of yours can trace these guys? I don’t want my sister put in harm’s way. Especially if I have to null her so she can play bait for this trap.”
“One hundred percent positive,” said Ruben. “I’ve met with the creator of the software and I’ve watched it run several tests until I was satisfied. The tests were effective every single time.”
“I promise I won’t let anything happen to her,” I said to Jules, keeping my eyes on Isadora.
My protective instincts pushed me like never before. She wanted to date supernaturals, including other vampires, and she had no idea how beastly we could all be. Take me for example. I was concocting ideas of sabotage because I already considered her mine. Also, I worried what deviant she might fall prey to among our kind. Of the supernaturals, we were the most cunning. For a reason, of course. We hunted and seduced humans to willingly give us the blood that flowed in their veins. Our genetics demanded we be beguiling in the most irresistible of ways.
I was so wrapped up in thoughts of Isadora I startled when Jules spoke to her, “Who is going with you to pretend to be your second party girl that night?”
“Livvy said she’d do it. She’s the only one who wasn’t with you guys at last year’s Summit cocktail party.”
Jules chewed on her bottom lip a second before replying, “I know you think this plan is foolproof, but I want Violet to do a reading on you two.” She eyed me and Ruben. “If she sees success in this operation, then I’ll be behind you one hundred percent.”
We needed the Enforcer of the district behind us, or she could call the whole operation off. And though I’d never let anything happen to Isadora, it would make me feel better if a Seer could give us a positive premonition.
Ruben gave a stiff nod. “Perhaps tomorrow?”
“I’d like to be there,” added Isadora, her brow pinched into a frown. “When and what time?”
“We could meet at our house at eight. I’m letting Mitchell close the kitchen on some nights. Violet isn’t closing the bar tomorrow.”
Isadora cleared her throat. Her pulse picked up. She was anxious about something. “Can we do it a little later?”
Jules eyed her sister, puzzled. “Why? You got a hot date or something?”
Her fingers curled into the fabric of her skirt a second before she flexed and relaxed them. Sort of. “Actually, yes. I do have a date.”
That pinching feeling was back again, twisting hard in the middle of my chest. She glanced at me then away, tapping her hands against her sides nervously.
Jules stared at her a second longer, the awkward tension stretching. “Alrig
ht then. How is ten? Eleven?”
“Oh, ten is good,” she said on a quick breath. “I won’t be staying out that late.”
Jules turned to Ruben. “Meet us at our house at ten.”
Ruben nodded.
“I’ll be there, too,” I said, eyeing Isadora, who kept darting her gaze to me then away. “Goodnight, ladies.”
I gave Ruben a sharp nod, then headed for my car with only one goal in mind. To discover when and where Isadora’s date would be tomorrow night.
Chapter 21
~ISADORA~
* * *
Fidgeting in my seat at the back of the Cauldron, I tried not to stare at the door, but it was impossible. I was basically on a blind date. I mean, sure, I’d seen his profile pic and we’d messaged via Zapp a handful of times before he asked me out and I accepted. But I basically knew nothing.
What did I know about him? Well, he liked quiet nights at home with a good meal. So did I. He also enjoyed reading biographies and books on philosophy. I wasn’t a big reader, but I could totally respect that. These were quiet pursuits. But was I playing it safe again? I didn’t know because that was all the information his limited profile listed.
The one thing that did set him apart from any guy in the past was that he was a grim reaper. I was going out with a grim! And his profile pic? Devastatingly gorgeous.
I’d chosen the Cauldron for our date because it felt familiar and made me more comfortable. Violet warned me to be safe because you never knew who you were meeting through dating apps. If this guy was dangerous, then I could wave to JJ to help me out. I glanced at the bar where he was talking to a customer. He tossed me a wink before pouring a draft for the customer.
I straightened my green cardigan sweater one more time just as my date walked through the door. Wow. Yeah, his profile pic didn’t lie. Jet black hair, smoldering eyes behind black-rimmed glasses, a fit but not athletic physique. More on the thinner side. But so was I. Something we had in common, right? Or was I already reaching?
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